Moon Tale
by Destinado
Summary: This is a sad tale about the Crimon Moon and the broken earth.
1. Prologue 1:Rise of the Crimson Moon

Rise of the Crimson Moon

This is the day when the fake princess falls sleeps and closes her eyes and casts away her absurd mask of humanity and retakes the mantle of eternity.

I'm right in front of her when she becomes something beyond what any human can achieve. She frees herself of the shackles of the Dark Princess and her hair, more beautiful than ever, grows longer than her waist.

It's weird than after waiting so much for this I find myself thinking about the one who finished my existence. What would he think if he saw this? Everything he worked so hard to build collapses. Brunestud deletes any humanity left in that body who loved a human. Oooh, it would be so wonderful, see the face of a God of Death in agony.

Her old clothes, that reflect her will to meddle with humans, are the last ones to be cast off. They disappear like blue petals in the wind, honoring the new moon princess.

She is … My TRUE PRINCESS!

"I will allow you only one hit. Spend all your life; make me an offering of your blood, your soul."

There's no doubt… This is how I want to die. THIS IS HOW I WANT TO VANISH!

"Hahahahaha… That's it! This is what I want! 800 years ago I saw eternity. Moon Princess, you haven't disappeared from my mind, not even a second! I present you with the burning end of my eighteenth reincarnation! The last one!"

With all my soul in my hand, I jump to the unreachable illusion. 800 years … it was only that much? After 800 years the degradation of my ego, the pain and the continued hunt, my role as Michael Roa Valdamjong concludes when I finally reach eternity with my hand … so soft … so perfect.

The end that achieved the one who aimed to be an observer. Eternity.

The last things I see when my vision starts to fade are her beautiful eyes that reflects the shades of the rainbow.

PD: This tale takes place after HF and Roa's Ending in Melty Blood AA

PD2: English is not my first language so I appreciate patience and criticism.


	2. Prologue 2: Hologram Summer is Over

The silver blade of Gamaliel is dyed red with the blood of a friend. In the end, as if death is liberation to her she becomes able to express her feelings. Her mouth is full of blood, but even then she makes the effort to talk.

"The philopher stones are dissolving … The water of life, the remedy to death and vampirism … I wanted it to save myself … No, that's not right, I wanted it to save you .."

Her face writhes in pain, as if even now she can't feel free. As if even now, nothing can make her forget her objective. Now I understand, that's what was holding her together. Everything that was left of Sion Eltnam Atlasia.

Her wish for salvation turned her in a machine. But that's enough, you have done enough, no one can blame you.

"Where you having nightmares? I haven't had even one minute of bad dreams. You where haunted by a dream in this twisted time, right Sion?"

Dust of Osirs looks at me, and in her eyes I recognize my friend. Her eyes are clouded by death, but even then I can see the agony and pain inside her.

"Ryesbyfe? I forgot. I have to apologize. I was saved by you but I couldn't do anything. Wallachia turned me into a vampire and …"

At that moment Sion looks at her chest and sees the blade of Gamaliel. First, her face show an expression of genuine surprise that would have been comical for Sion in others circumstances. But then she turns back to the always calm Sion and her face shows peace.

"I see, your stake is inside me… Thank god. In the end, those who are like me end hunted by those who are like you. But be careful, the other Sion is still fighting."

"Yes, I'm sorry Sion. It's the second time."

"No, it's better this way Ryesbyfe, Guardian Knight, chosen by the sacred shield. You kept your honor and saved my soul in the end."

Saying this, Dust of Osiris, judges her death fair. Even if she couldn't have the life she wished for at least at the moment of her death, there's a friend beside her. And she doesn't ask for anything else. Sion never wished for anything for herself, even if she was born as an elite in Atlas. It was always for the pride of the Eltnam or for humanity wellbeing, her motives where never egoistical.

"If that's true, I'm happy. Now, sleep Sion. This time, you won't be haunted by bad dreams."

"Goodnight, Ryes. May you have good dreams …too."

"Goodbye, Sion. If it can be granted, I wish to meet you again, after all this darkness falls."

Dust of Osiris, the Sion who was manipulated by TATARI to live an artificial life of hardships and pain, dies in my arms. But in her final moments she smiles and is at peace with herself.

And at this moment, from the dusts of the underworld, a man appears engulfed in a cape and with a crazy smile as long as his face.

"Bravo, Bravo ! Even if it was a third rate play it had a powerful ending. It may be unworthy of TATARI to have such a pure death but I have to acknowledge that it was moving. I can't stop my tears!"

Walacchia takes a handkerchief and tries to clean his never stopping flow of blood tears. It's a fool errand and the handkerchief soon is driping with blood.

"This play is over, but a new one will start soon. And this will be the greatest work humanity has ever seen."

He is in an out of control frenzy. Like an actor before the biggest role in his life.

"What is your plan this time, Zepia? Do you plan to return to the empty nucleus of TATARI again? If that's what you want, you will have to fight me first."

I point Galamiel at him with every strength I have left. I will fight if I have to, even against one who holds a seat as one of the 27 dead apostle ancestors.

Then with a smile that reflects his madness, he points at the sky.

"Look Ryesbyfe, look at the sky. The Moon is Crimson! Every calculation has been wrong, wrong for a millennium. This is the last curtain raise of this world. The theme will be the end of humanity. Don't you find it funny? Death, Apocalypse and Genesis. End and Beginning at the same time. The death will dance and the spirits will wept. And the director will be the King of the Moon himself."

The terrain begins to change and I'm dragged out of this future and this ravaged land.

"Give my regards to the king in his castle and don't forget. We will meet soon, in the Night of the Blood Liar."


	3. Prologue 3: The Vengeance of the Tiger

The Vengeance of the Tiger.

When I arrive home the lights are turned on. This usually means that Sakura, Fuji-nee and Rider but since the day after Tohsaka came back from London …

One Month Ago

…..

"Sakura-chan, since Tohsaka-san came back, Shiro hasn't made any food. Chinese and Japanese aren't bad, but I miss Shiro's European food."

Fuji-nee says this as she lies lazily only getting up occasionally to pick up a mandarin. She could talk like this if she ever made any food, but as we are talking about Fuji-nee, it's better to stop here. No one wants to make Fuji-nee angry, her kendo skills are still famous in all of Fuyuki.

"Fujimura-sensei now that I think about it, I have never seen your skills as a chef. A critic with such a rich palate will have the kitchen skills to match it, no doubt."

Of course, the peerless Tohsaka isn't afraid of anything. Here we have Tohsaka's favorite attack, showering Fuji-nee with difficult words to confuse her. She really is a model student. Maybe it's a good chance for me to join the attack.

"It wouldn't be so bad if Fuji-nee at least was able to make instant ramen. She should learn to cook her own dinner before talking about anyone else's."

"Isn't it so, Emiya-kun."

Tohsaka looks at me with a devilish smile. She really can't maintain her model student persona for long, nowadays.

A combat aura starts to spread over my house. I take a step back, unable to resist it.

"TOOOOHSAKA-SAAAAAAN, SHIRO!"

Uuuh, we made Fuji-nee angry. Her combat aura is matchless even for Berserker. She is even angrier than when I called her Tiger .This is really bad! I have to run out of the house, this is a place of death.

"Oooh, I'll cook. I'll cook, you'll see... I'll make sure the two of you see it to the end."

As she says this, the light of the Ashura shines in Fuji-nee's eyes.

…...

Since that day I haven't been able to relax at home. Fuji-nee's vengeance tend to be fast and deadly. She won't overlook this mockery. I only want to return home with Sakura, without Fuji-nee staring daggers at my back.

When I open the door I realize that I'm stepping into hell. This smell can only come from the corpses of the underworld.

"I'm home."

Sakura appears while I'm taking off my shoes at the entrance.

"Welcome home, Senpai."

I look around us to see if someone can see us and then I give her a fast kiss.

"Has the moment arrived?"

My voice reflects more fear that what I intended.

"Yes, Senpai. Fujimura-sensei arrived at noon with Nee-san in tow. She's been in a really good mood in the kitchen since then."

There's no sense in postponing the inevitable. I must try to put up with Fuj'nee's punishment as good as I can.

"Sakura, I'm going to take a bath. Can you try to calm down Fuji-nee a little?"

"I don't know, senpai. Fujimura-sensei seems to be in a frenzy. I don't think anyone can calm her now. And senpai knew that Fujimura-sensei is really sensitive about her cooking, Didn't you?"

Sakura still has the habit of siding with Fuji-nee in these matters. And not only that, she's having fun. I can't win against her when she is looking like this.

"Alright, Can you at least ask rider to bring me some clothes to the bathroom?"

"Of course, Senpai."

I arrive at the bathroom without encountering anyone else, and try my best not to think about the odd odors, coming from the kitchen. I feel so relaxed in the warm water that I almost fall sleep.

When I got out of the bath feeling a little dizzy, instead of my clothes I see the face of Rider.

"Hm, Rider, you were still here?"

"Oh, I'm sorry it took me so long. I was checking on my bike when Sakura asked me for help. But the bike kept making strange noises and I had to keep checking to see what was wrong. It seemed like there was loose cable, but I was thinking about asking for professional advice."

Rider bought a motorbike a little while ago and she hasn't stopped worried about it since then. She is worse than a mother hen. Anyway, this isn't the place to talk about this. I look at my bod only covered by a towel as my face reddens.

"Rider, can you get out until I dress up? This talk can wait for later".

I look again at my half-naked body and this time Rider looks too. The smile in her face seems to carry a bewitching spell. Blood starts rushing to my brain non-stop.

"Oh, that's a nice body. It seems that your daily routine is working fine, Shiro."

She caresses my cheek in a provocative way and smiles.

"Make sure to make Sakura happy with that body".

Rider laughs and gets out of the room. I really hope that Sakura never finds out about this.

After I dress up, I go the living room. There's none of the usual warmth in the room today, today this place is Fuji-nee's execution chamber. A dark smoke comes from the kitchen accompanied with some evil laughs from time to time.

Tohsaka and Sakura are both seated at the table. It seems that Rider hasn't come back yet.

Tohsaka has her fists clenched. She seems ready for battle.

"Good night, Emiya-kun."

"Good night, Tohsaka. So you finally showed up."

"I didn't have a choice. Fujimura-sensei arrived at my house this afternoon and there was no room for negotiation. Even worse, Sakura took her side, blocking any escape routes."

Tohsaka sighs with resignation as she tries to change the subject.

"By the way, Emiya-kun. I went to the shed this afternoon and saw the remnants of a healing magic circle. Was that your doing? Are you trying to learn classic magic?"

That's weird. Tohsaka usually stays as far away from the shed as she can. Her nature as a magus drives her away of the workshop of an heretical apprentice.

"There's no way I did something so complicated, Tohsaka. It must have been Rider or Sakura."

Sakura shakes her head.

"I can't do that kind of magecraft anymore, Senpai. My spells are too tied to the Matou family, two years of training with Rider hasn't changed that."

Tohsaka's face starts showing the enthusiasm of a riddle solver.

In that moment, Rider arrives at the living room.

"Rider, do you know anything about the magic circle in the shed?"

Rider tries to sneak to the place where she stores her liquor, but facing Sakura's look of contempt she gives us and comes to the table.

"Do you mean the magic circle at Shiro's workshop? No, I have nothing to do with it. I found it the first time I searched the house and tought it was the doing of the same magus that built the barrier around the house."

Tohsaka looks even more intrigued now. She draws the circle in the air with her finger and nods with her head.

"Yes, the circle seemed to be old. At least five years old. Could it be your father's work, Shiro?"

"No, that can't be. My father was a proficient magus, but he wasn't able to do anything like that. Maybe if he received some help…"

We are interrupted by the noise of dishes in the kitchen. It seems that Fuji-nee has finished her torture device.

"Hahahahaha. Sakura-chan can you help me to set the table?"

"Of course, Fujimura-sensei."

Fuji-nee and Sakura bring the dishes to the table. There are two kinds of dishes. First there's three cups of instant noodles for Rider, Sakura and Fuji-nee. Then, there's ****** for me and Tohsaka.

"Fu-Fujimura-sensei. You can't really expect us to eat this. There are tentacles and some black goo and something that smells like *******. No human can eat this and survive."

Tohsaka is really tense, but Fuji-nee's combat aura fills the whole room. It's impossible to negotiate with this beast.

"This is war, Tohsaka-san. You will finish ****** or it will finish you."

Of course, Fuji-nee sounds completely serious as she speaks such nonsense. Sakura gives our dishes ceremoniously.

Giving up, Tohsaka takes her chopsticks and draws near her plate. Even now, her prides helps her to fight against the greatest of all evils.

Slowly, she puts the chopsticks in her mouth and in a supreme effort, swallows.

It's instant death.

First her face reflects every possible color, then she starts to breath heavily and her body starts convulsing as she fights the nausea.

"Now is your turn, Shiro."

Fuji-nee looks at me, her face full of anticipation.

I gather all my force of will and take a bite at *******.

The texture can't be defined. This material is not from this world.

I have lost my hearing. A high-pitched noise starts to destroy my brain.

The second bite destroys my vision. Now I can only see white and black

At the third bite, I lose the ability to differentiate up and down.

But I still feel Fuji-nee's bestial aura, urging me to eat.

In the end my brain just shuts down.


	4. Prologue 4: Tale under the Blue Moon

Tale Under the Blue Glass Moon.

I awake to the feel of the cold breeze in my face. My head is resting is something soft and fluffy. I open my eyes to see the smiling face of Sakura right above me. Her beautiful purple hair is floating with the wind and her sweet scent keeps my heart at peace. She is gently stroking my hair.

In the distance I hear Tohsaka yelling at Fuji-nee.

"This time you have gone too far, Fujimura-sensei. That thing could have been our end."

"Nonsense. No student of mine would be done just by one *******. Shirou could stand three or four servings of ******* before kicking the bucket."

Fuji-nee says something that ridiculous with absolute confidence.

Finally, Sakura realizes that I'm awake and blushes a little. Even after all this time, she still blushes for small things like this. She will probably keep doing it always.

"Are you awake, Senpai? Are you feeling ill?"

I get up slowly. Most of the worst after effects of Fuji-nee's cooking seem to have disappeared.

"Yes, I'm feeling better. Thanks, Sakura, the breeze here is really nice. I wish Fuji-nee could learn to control herself a little more. Her counterattacks become more vicious each time."

I let a long sigh scape my lips.

"But this time is our loss. Good job, Fuji-nee."

Fuji-nee gives me a victory sign and a radiant smile.

I hear Rider light footsteps coming from behind. When she arrives at the porch I see that she is carrying five glasses and a bottle of liquor. She puts a glass in front of me and starts filling it.

"Sakura said that today is fine. You will need it after that dinner and drinking under a full moon is always a pleasure."

I look at Sakura, waiting for her approbation.

"Today is a special day. We haven't been together in a long time and this is the special bottle from Hokkaido that Rider has been hiding for almost a year."

She gives Rider a smile that sends a chill to her spine.

"That's okay. But be careful with Fuji-nee. If she drinks too much, not even Berserker would be able to stop her."

Suddenly, Fuji-nee appears behind Sakura with a cat-like smile from ear to ear and takes her glass in a quick motion.

Lately Sakura has become really strict on how much alcohol gets inside the house. So Fuji-nee gulps down her drink instantly.

"Sakura-chaaaaaaaaan, give me more, give me more. Oh, what a good scent, what a great taste. Rider-san's choice is as good as ever."

"Sakura, fill mine too, please."

This is Tohsaka's third glass. Rider is starting to look at her with cold eyes.

"Shiro, do you remember that fairy tale Kiritsugu used to tell us in nights like this one?"

After been drinking silently for a while, Fuji-nee asks me this.

"Father telling a story? No, I don't remember anything like that."

Maybe the last time I spoke here with Father was so important that it rewrote all the other times that we were here, glancing at the moon.

"You don't remember? It was a fairy tale that Kiritsugu-san remembered when the night was full like tonight. One about a king that ruled the moon, or something like that."

"Oh"

"Oh"

Sakura and Tohsaka react at the same time when they heard "the king that ruled the moon".

"So have both of you heard about this story too? I thought that it was a foreign story that Kiritsugu-san picked up in one of his travels overseas."

Sakura looks at Tohsaka nervously.

"You have seen our mansion, Fujimura-sensei. Our family likes the occidental influence. Some say that even some of our ancestors were occidental. And this story became really popular in our family."

"That would explain Sakura-chan's body. But, do you remember this story, Tohsaka-san? For some reason it seems right for tonight."

Tohsaka sighs. It's probably a tale of the occult world that Fuji-nee can't listen to. But this far into the conversation, it's obvious that Fuji-nee won't stop asking, and she must be thinking about what she can tell her and what she can't.

"I don't know if I can make the story justice. I heard about it a long time ago. But I will do what I can. As most fairy tales do, this story begins a long, long time ago in a faraway place. The Moon was a beautiful place then, full of life and color. There lived a king that was at the same time splendid and fearsome. But in the end, all his people died, the Moon became lifeless and the king was alone."

Tohsaka makes her tale as dark and generic as possible so Fuji-nee can't understand much of the deeper meaning. I can't get much of the deeper meaning either but from time to time, Rider nods with her head, like she understands what Tohsaka Is talking about.

"Then the Earth bore a new kid. It was a strange kid, and the Earth wasn't able to understand why it was so different from her other kids, but the Earth started feeling scared about her own destiny. The King of the Moon heard the fearful cries of the Earth and hatched a plan. The King of the Moon descended to earth and even if his voice was sweet, his eyes were cruel and full of malice."

Even I can understand fragments of what Tohsaka is saying now. When she talks about the earth she speaks about Gaia the will of the planet. She loves order and life and hates unbalance, always trying to keep balance in all things.

"So, the king spoke to the Earth his deceitful words: "As you can't move and are defenseless, I will protect you." And the planet agreed, and she created a race of moon people to rule over humans. Their objective was to keep things as they should be, as it always had been."

Now, Tohsaka lost me again.

"But what should have been perfect wasn't. The people of the moon were created in the image of their king and they shared his thirst. The King of the Moon didn't help the earth because of his goodwill; he did because he was thirsty. And inside him and inside the people of the moon there was thirst for the blood of the children of the Earth."

Tohsaka stops grasping for air and I take the opportunity to take a sip of liquor. I'm starting to have a headache but it must be because of this weird fairy tale and the alcohol.

"But the Earth lover all her sons, and didn't like to see them hunted. Soon the King of the Moon was an enemy of both the Earth and her sons. Then, in the end, the King of The Moon tried to drop the moon over the Earth but a magician with a jeweled sword stopped him."

A jeweled sword.

A sword capable of stopping the moon.

A weapon that doesn't come from this world, but one that comes from a much higher place.

I have seen such a weapon. I saw it in the hands of an old magician in that cave, when Ilya showed me the creation of the ritual that became the Holy Grail War.

I look at Tohsaka and Sakura for confirmation and they nod their head. So that's why Tohsaka knew about this story. It's the story about the master of their family.

"Even then, it's told that the King of the Moon, planted seeds in the moon people and that he will come back to hunt the planet and her sons. And this is the end of the tale, Fujimura-sensei. It's long and overly complicated. I hope it didn't bore you."

Fuji-nee shakes her head.

"Don't worry, Tohsaka-san. I didn't understand it all but somehow it seemed a good tale for tonight. Tonight the moon seems kind of mysterious."

For a while we just keep drinking, looking at the blue glass moon.


End file.
